Podiatry Experts

Heel pain is common and there are many different reasons for this. Plantar fasciitis is by far the most common problem and is usually simple to diagnose. However, there are plenty of other reasons that aren't as common and are more difficult to diagnose. One of the less common conditions is a ailment referred to as heel fat pad atrophy. There is a covering of fat under the heel which provides a cushion and shock absorber when we are walking or running. Normally there's plenty of fat there to provide that cushioning, however in some people it atrophies or wastes away and it may no longer guard the heel with that cushioning. The reason why it occurs is not completely obvious, there is however some atrophy of that fat pad with aging and some just seem to atrophy more than others at a faster rate. The main signs of this problem are usually increasing pain with standing and walking under the heel. Additionally it is essential to exclude other reasons since they might exist simultaneously.

The main way to deal with heel pad atrophy is to substitute the fat which has wasted away. The easiest way is to use pads in the footwear beneath the heel, preferably made of a silicone gel which has the same consistency as the natural fat, because they technically substitute the pad that is missing. This ordinarily handles almost all cases of this and this is all that has to be done. A possible problem with this approach is that you need to use the pads and you can’t do this when barefoot or in sandals without difficulty. The only other option is surgery called augmentation in which some fat is surgically implanted beneath the heel. The injected fat may come from another area of the body or might be artificially created in the laboratory. The longer term results of this sort of surgery aren't yet known, however early results from the surgery appear great. There is no way to naturally reverse fat pad atrophy.